Process Paper

This workshop focuses on exposition — writing to inform or explain. In this first assignment, your job is to explainhow to do something. Choose an activity that requires a sequence of steps, and walk your reader through the process.

This is a simple idea, but don’t be fooled. Using the written word to explain a process can be more difficult than you think. To make it trickier (and more fun!), we’ve added some rules:

No pictures, charts, diagrams or other illustrations

No numbered steps—you must write in paragraph form.

No separated headings for each step—paragraph form only.

Illustrations, numbers, and headings can make explaining a process simpler, but we want to challenge you to write clearly without those props. If we intended to publish a how-to book, we certainly would employ all the pictures and numbered steps we could for clarity’s sake.

Give careful thought to the process you choose to explain. If you pick the wrong process, you will make your paper much more difficult to write. Here are some tips:

Don’t pick anything that would require illustrations. Tying shoes, for example, is very hard to explain clearly without visual aids.

Don’t pick anything too complex. If you try to explain how to rebuild a transmission, you won’t be able to give enough detail to make it understandable.

Don’t pick anything technical. Besides being too complex (and really boring), technical processes, like writing a computer program or assembling a transmission, require the use of specialized terminology — jargon — which the average reader will not be familiar with. Avoid technical processes and all jargon.

Don’t pick something too simple either. It’s possible to choose a process that can be thoroughly explained in just a few sentences (like making toast or lighting a match). You’ll end up with a paper that’s too short or you’ll have to fill it in with fluff.

Don’t be too detailed. Even if you choose a pretty common process like making a bed, riding a motorcycle, or knitting a sweater, assume your reader is of average intelligence. It’s not necessary to define “pillow” or explain where to buy yarn. Don’t get so detailed that the paper becomes tedious or ridiculous.

Try to pick something unusual and interesting. This kind of writing can be dull, so look for something that many people wouldn’t naturally know how to do. We’ve had great papers about loading a black powder rifle, cleaning a moose carcass, and creating dramatic masks for plays. Papers on cleaning a bird’s cage, parking a car, or making a peanut butter sandwich were less interesting.

Be creative. Just because this is an expository paper doesn’t mean you can’t use your imagination. Some of the more creative and interesting topics we’ve seen are “How To Annoy Your Older Sister,” “How To Be a Nerd,” and “How To Create a Monster, by Dr. Frankenstein.”

Keep in mind that the most important element of this paper is clarity. Creativity is nice, but not what we’ll be looking for primarily. Once you’ve selected a topic, think carefully through the steps required and be sure to include all information a reader would need to accomplish the task successfully.